Venetian blinds



C. F. FOUNTAINA VENETIAN BLINDS Dec. 27, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Oct. 7, 1964 N LMA@ www? INVENTOR. CLARE/VCE F. FOU/VXA /N A TTOPNE Y6 C. F. FOUNTAIN VENETIAN BLINDS Dec. 27, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. '7, 1964 I INVENTOR empf/vc@ F. FOU/vm /N A T TOP/VE' YS United States Patent O 3,294,153 VENETIAN BLINDS Clarence F. Fountain, Perrysburg, Ohio (7 Mechanic St., Box 175, Mattapoisett, Mass. 02739) Filed Get. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 402,109 Claims. (Cl. 160-168) This invention relates to improvements in Venetian blinds; and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, it relates to an improved headrail mechanism for controlling Venetian blinds.

The prior art shows many different types of Venetian blind headrail and associated control mechanisms. For the most part, these prior devices have employed varying types of pulley control for carrying out the blind-pull and blind-tilt functions. The blind pull and tilt cords are generally extended up into the headrail and the associated control mechanism wherein extensions of these same cords are then attached below to the blind slat grouping in a manner which will allow the proper control action. The prior art controls have been reliable for their purpose but, due to the nature and size of the mechanisms, a definite minimum width has been imposed upon Venetian blind headrail construction. Furthermore, in mechanisms employing cord sections as control linkages, fraying, breaking and tangling are factors which, sooner or later, contribute to the breakdown of the blind unit.

The trend today in Venetian blind use is toward narrower slats. The narrower slat blinds have several desirable features such as being easier to clean and reducing glare at certain blind settings. Also, the aesthetic qualities of the narrow slat blinds is more pleasing, at least at this phase of the trend. A problem has arisen though that in manufacture of the narrow slat blinds, there is a definite minimum width which the headrail may have, and this minimum is not consonant with the overall narrow appearance of the remainder of the blind unit.

The present invention contemplates an apparatus which provides a headrail mechanism that can be made as narrow as is practical. The only limitations to narrowness would Vbe far smaller in terms of tolerance than the minimum width of practical Venetian blind slats and suspension structures. The present invention employs a pair of yoppositely reciprocating horizontal slide rods in the headrail which serve to transmit the blind-tilt control from the manual actuating cords to separate slat control cords. The headrail employs slide guide mechanisms which form a free slideway for the pair of horizontal slide rods, while beneath the rods, the guides serve also, to guide and keep separate those blind-pull cord (raising and lowering) sections which are strung along the headrail. Hence, entanglement is a virtually nonexistent possibility as tilt control is effected by the rods while pull control is carried out by the conventional cord means and both actuators are aligned and segregated by the slide guide brackets within the headrail. The present invention also includes novel pull-cord locking means. It will become apparent that the horizontal actuating rods and the remainder of the headrail mechanism can be made very narrow with but negligible limitations.

It is an object of this invention to provide a Venetian blind headrail which can be made to any practical width.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a Venetian blind headrail mechanism which has an irnproved control action and greater reliability and duration of use.

ICC

It is still another object of the invention to provide an improved headrail mechanism which can be made so that it uniformly adapts to aesthetic qualities present in a Venetian blind structure.

Finally, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved Venetian blind mechanism which is flexible as to design requirements and which provides a more reliable and ellicient blind-tilt control, blind-pull control, and pullcord locking mechanisms. Y

Other 4objects and advantages of the invention will be evident from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top view of the headrail portion of a Venetian blind.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the headrail and Venetian blind with the front panel of the headrail partially cut away. Y

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a slide guide as p employed in the headrail of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the pull-cord locking mechanism with a mounting arrangement shown in dotted lines.

FIG. 5 is a top view of another embodiment of the Venetian blind headrail which illustrates the width minimizing capabilities of the design.

, Description of the invention Referring jointly to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a Venetian blind headrail 10 and the Venetian blind array 12. The headrail 10 is formed from a baseplate 14 upon which the various mechanisms to be described are located. The baseplate 14 is formed with a front panel 16 which serves merely as a cover panel and is usually decoratively finished or adorned.

At one end of baseplate 14 there are passage holes 18 and 20 which receive the tilt cords 22 and 24 and the pull cords 26 and 28, respectively, therethrough. The tilt cords 22 and 24 pass over respective pulleys 30 and 32 which are each mounted on baseplate 14 in alignment with holes 18 and 20. The tilt cords 22 and 24 are then connected to the bead chain linkages 34 and 36 which connect to horizontal slide bars on rods 38 and 40, respectively, by means `of fastening brackets 42 and 44. The fastening 4 brackets 42 and 44 are affixed to each outer side of the horizontal slide rods 38 and 40 by welding or other suitable means. At the other end of slide rods 38 and 40, two additional fastening brackets 46 and 48 are secured for the purpose lof attachment to each end of a flexible connecting member 50 which is led around a pulley 52. The pulley 52 is mounted on a bracket 54 which is mounted at the extreme end of the baseplate 14 opposite the pulleys 30 and 32. The pulley 52 and connecting member 50 serve to transfer the equal and opposite tensions which result from any reciprocal movement of the horizontal slide rods 38 and 40.

A pair of slide guides 56 and 58 are mounted on the baseplate 14 in symmetrical and suiiiciently spaced relationship and serve to support the slide rods 38 and 40 in sliding contact with the slideways 60 (see FIG. 3) through the perpendicular ilange 62. FIG. 3 illustrates an enlargement of one of the slide guides 56 and 58. It is a unitary piece having a mounting baseplate 64 and a perpendicular slideway portion 62. The slots 66 and 68 form passages for the pull cords 26 and 28, as will be explained, and the holes 70 and 72 provide downward holes for the tilt control members; i.e., the slat falls 74, 76, 78 and 80. If desired, the holes 70 and. 72 may be specified as rivet holes such that the slide guides 56 and 58 are fastened to the baseplate 14 by eyelettype rivet means, and the fixed rivet and its collar can still provide a smooth passageway for the slat falls 74, 76, 78 and 80. Further, while it is optional, a suitaable roller 81 may be. mounted as shown (FIG. 3) to smoother operation of pull cords 26 and 28. t

Each of the slat falls 74, 76, 78 and 80 is fastened by suitable eyelet or hook fastener means 82, 84, 86, or 88, respectively, to the horizontal slide rods; i.e., rear slat falls 74 and 78 are attached to slide bar 38 and the front slat falls 76 and 80 are attached to the other slide bar 40. The slat falls below the baseplate 14 are connected in more Ior less conventional manner to the Venetian blind array 12. That is, the forward slat falls 76 and 80 each extend downward with a suitable connection, sling or tensioning capability at each slat and nally the slat falls 76 and 80 are anchored at the proper length in the front edge of a base slat 90 at points 92 and 94, respectively. The rear slat falls 74 and 78 are arranged in the same manner whereupon as shown, for example, in U.S. Patents 2,657,747 or 3,100,013. This is more usually noted as a tape having front and rear vertical strips with alternating support strips extended between the vertical strips, one support strip for each slat. tape-type of slat support is compatible with the present headrail control mechanism and could be utilized as a matter of choice.

The raising and lowering of the blind array 12 is It should be understood Athat the l obtained by positioning the pull cords 26v and 28. This f is best seen in FIG. 2. The pull cords 26 and 28 are passed up through a suitable opening 95 in the baseplate 14 and through a cord locking mechanism 100, to be more fully described. The cords are then directed along baseplate 14, beneath the horizontal slide rods 38 102 to provide a footing member for the compressionl spring 110. In FIG. 4, dotted lines 114 denote a sultable casing having attaching flanges 116, and dotted lines 14 and 95 outline the baseplate and its pull-cord passage. It should be understood that the placement and fastening of the c-ord locking mechanism 100 can be greatly varied in accordance with the requirements `of use.

Operation The manual control of the Venetian blind is effected in conventional manner from the side. 'I'he embodiment of FIGS. y1 and 2 show vall control from one side, but it can just as easily be arranged with tilt control on one side and pull control on the other. The blind-tilt cords 22 and 24 are capable of simultaneous reciprocal movement, that is, when one cord is rnoved in one direction, the lother `cord must move in an equal and opposite direction. The tilt cord 22 passes up over a pulley 30 where it is connected by linkage 34 and bracket 42 to the horizontal slide bar 38 which controls equally the amount of vertical length of each of the rear slat falls 74 and 78. The second tilt cord 24 passes up over the pulley 32 where it is connected by linkage 36 and bracket 44 to the front horizontal slide rod 40 which controls equally the amount of vertical length of each of the front slat falls 76 and 80.

Hence, in adjusting slat tilt, when tilt cords 22 kand 24 are simultaneously reciprocally moved, the horizontal slide rods 38 and 40 are each moved an equal distance in opposite directions; and thus, equal and opposite vertical lengthening and shortening of the front (76 and 80) and rear slat falls (74 and 78) is effected. Since each Iof the slat falls is connected to inuence each blind slat 96 in accordance with the slat falls, the blind slats will move in unison (rotationally) in response to the positioning of the blind-tilt cords 22 and 24.

The blind-pull cords are operated in the conventional manner although the path of the cords has been imand 40, to the slide guide 58 where the cords 26 and 28 each pass through the respective slot 66 (see FIG. 3) of the slide guide 58. One pull cord 26 then passes down through a second slot 68, in slide guide 58, and down through the baseplate 14 and plurality of slats 96, whereupon it is nally secured to the base slat 90. The second pull cord 28 is extended on beneath the horizontal slide rods 38 and 40 to the second slide guide 56. Here it is passed through similar slots 66 and 68 (see FIG. 3) and down through the baseplate 14 and the plurality of slats 96, where it is then secured to the base slat 90.

The cord lock mechanism 100, referring to FIG. 4, comprises a novel cord holding device which can be mounted or inserted in a variety of arrangements on or in the baseplate 14 and in l'alignment with the passage 95 through the baseplate. Thelocking device 100 serves to enable manual adjustment of the blind-pull cords 26 and 28 with subsequent locking `or gripping of the cords after the adjustment when the cords are released. In a preferred form, the cord locking mechanism 100 is formed with -a rectangular back plate 102 which has mounted thereon; a solid snubber piece 104 having a convex curved contact edge, a pin 106 hingedly securing a swivel piece 108 (which has a curvature approximating the convex surface of snubber 104) a short distance away from the curved surface of 104, and finally, a compression spring 110 which is xed to urge the curved swivel 108 toward and into the convex surface of the snubber 104. The spring 110 can be positioned and held by any suitable means; e.g., a perpendicular surface 112 can be bent from -an extension of back plate proved and a novel locking mechanism 100 is introduced. The pull cords as shown in FIG. 2 are at their upper extremity. When the pull cords 26 and 28 are pulled downward (equally) the length displacement is apparent at the downward fall portions of cords 26 and 28 which attach to the base slat that is, the base slat 90 is raised a proportional amount. In the blind raising phase, (refer to FIG. 4) when the pull cords 26 and 28 are pulled down they overcome the compression of spring 110 and urge the swivel 108 out of its locking position. When the blind has been raised to the desired level, release of cords 26 and 28 allow the swivel to once again be urged against the curved snubber 104, whereupon the cords 26 and 28 will be tightly locked until a new adjustment of the blind level is initiated. In lowering the blind, the pull cords 26 and 28 are urged against the compression of spring 110 to hold swivel 108 out ofthe locking position. The cords 26 and 28 can then be allowed to slip upward through locking mechanism until the blinds have been lowered to the proper level, at which time, release of the cords 26 and 28 will allow the swivel 108 to lock and hold the cords against the snubber 104.

FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of a Venetian blind headrail 10; mechanically the same as the headrail 10 previously described, as it can be designed when narrowness of the mechanism is a requirement. It should be apparent too that the mechanism may be made still more narrow if desired. This has become an especial consideration in the manufacture of Venetian blinds. The reference numbers used in FIG. 5 correspond to the reference numbers of FIG. 1, except that each reference number in FIG. 5 is given a (prime) to indicate a reduction in size of the corresponding element in FIG. l.

In the headrail 10', each of the sub-components is capable of width reduction which is well within the practical limits as set by desirability and any reasonable aesthetic requirements. Thepulley 52 can be made to any desired diameter. The tilt cord pulleys 30 and 32 are capable vof very small design and narrow placement, and the horizontal slide rodsy 38' and 40'can be reduced in width since structuralrigidity is the only consideration. The slide guides 56 and 58 must, of necessity, be

the widest components mounted on baseplate 14' since they must encircle the sliderods 38 and 40 and` they must also provide the vertical openings for the slat falls 74', 76', 78' and 80'; however,this isnot a severevlimitation and it is possible to provide headrails having a total width of less than one inch. Such a compact mechanism has not been possible with the blind control devices which were available heretofore.

The specification has set forth novel structure which affords great improvement in the art of Venetian blind control mechanisms. The structure provides a Venetian blind which can be constructed to be as narrow as would be practical. Also, the structure renders positive action and reliable control of the blind slat array; and further, it enables a longer operational lifetime since the number of components which can become worn, frayed, tangled, etc. has been greatly reduced. The Venetian blind is further characterized by the inclusion of a novel cord locking mechanism which renders positive action while causing a minimum of cord Wear.

Changes may be made in the combination and arrangement of elements as heretofore set forth in this specification and shown in the drawings; it being understood, that changes may be made in the embodiments disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of the nvention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A Venetian blind headrail comprising:

a headrail baseplate;

a pair of slide guides mounted near opposite ends of said baseplate;

a pair of rigid horizontal rods disposed in adjacent and longitudinally sliding relationship in said slide guides, said rods having adjacent sides substantially in sliding contact;

pairs of slat support means passing up through the baseplate at spaced positions with opposite members of each pair being connected to opposite ones of said horizontal rods; and

tilt control means for horizontally, reciprocally actuating said horizontal slide rods to respectively raise and lower the opposite members of each pair of slat support means.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein each slide guide comprises:

a unitary piece providing an upright portion defining a horizontal slide passage for said horizontal rods, and

a base portion defining a pair of vertical openings for leading said slat support means through said baseplate.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said tilt control means comprises:

pulley means mounted at one end of said baseplate;

a flexible linkage connecting the two adjacent ends of said slide rods around said pulley; and

tilt cord means connected to each of the other ends of said rods to enable manual reciprocation of said horizontal rods.

4. A Venetian blind headrail comprising:

a headrail baseplate;

first and second slide guides mounted on said baseplate in spaced and aligned relationship;

first and second rigid horizontal rods longitudinally juxtaposed in substantially sliding contact and aligned to slide in said guides;

end pulley means vmounted at one end of said baseplate;

flexible connectingmeans wound' around `said pulley and having its opposite ends connected to the adjavcent ends of the first and second horizontal rods Awith one end of the connecting means connected to vone rod and the opposite end thereof connected to the otherrod; v

a plurality of pairs of slat support means of equal length-:extending through the baseplate with one n member of each pair connected to the first horizontal'rod andthe. other member of each pair connected to the second horizontal rodgand actuating means for simultaneously reciprocally sliding the horizontal rods to thereby respectively lengthen and shorten the vertical length of respective ones of each of said pairs of slat support means.

5. A Venetian blind comprising:

a headrail baseplate;

a pair of slide rods in longitudinally juxtaposed relationship, said slide rods having adjacent sides in substantially sliding contact to provide a minimum width;

a pair of slide guide means disposed near the ends of said baseplate and supporting said slide rods for longitudinal movement;

a plurality of blind slats in vertical array;

pairs of slat support means with one member of each pair supporting the slat rears and the other member of each pair supporting the slat fronts;

said slat support means being extended up through said baseplate with one member of each pair connected to one slide rod and the other member of each pair connected to the other slide rod; and

actuating means for imparting simultaneous reciprocal movement to said slide rods to thereby reciprocally move said slat support means and tilt said slats.

6. A Venetian blind as set forth in `claim y5 wherein said actuating means comprises:

a pair of pulleys mounted at one end of said baseplate;

and

a pair of control cords, each led over one of said pulleys and connected with one of said slide rods.

7. A Venetian blind as set forth in claim 6 which is further characterized to include:

a third pulley means mounted on said baseplate at the other end of the slide rods from said control cords; and

a flexible linkage member connected to the ends of the slide rods and passed around the pulley.

8. A Venetian blind as set forth in claim 5 which is further characterized to include:

a base slat forming the bottom of the blind array;

a first pull cord extending from the base slat up through the baseplate and then through one of the slide guides;

a second pull cord extending from the base slat up through the baseplate and then through both slide guides;

both of said pull cords extending along the baseplate to one end of the baseplate, whereby both pull cords can be pulled at once to raise the base and blind slats.

9. A Venetian blind as set forth in claim 8 wherein each slide guide means comprises:

a unitary bracket having a base and perpendicular extension wherein said extension has :a first hole for receiving the slide rods and a second slot for passing the pull cords, and said base has a first slot for directing the pull cords through the baseplate and second and third holes for directing slat support means through said baseplate.

10. A Venetian blind headrail comprising:

a pair of rigid slide rods disposed horizontally and closely juxtaposed to each other along their length;

pairs of blind slat support means;

nleans foi` securing said slidev rods in predetermined References Cited [jy-'thev Examiner ifeslitfionvhfie aiOiI- IPISILO l' i UNITED STATES PATENTS v3,100,013 8/1963 Randmalk 160-168 whereby longitudinal reciprocation of saidvslide rods causes lengthening and shortening of respective ones of the pairs of slat support means to thereby enable 10 HARRISON R MOSELEY Fumar-y Examiner' tilt control of the blind. P. M. CAUN, Assistant Examiner. 

10. A VENETIAN BLIND HEADRAIL COMPRISING: A PAIR OF RIGID SLIDE RODS DISPOSED HORIZONTALLY AND CLOSELY JUXTAPOSED TO EACH OTHER THEIR LENGTH; PAIRS OF BLIND SLAT SUPPORT MEANS; MEANS FOR SECURING SAID SLIDE RODS IN PREDETERMINED POSITION WHILE ALLOWING RECIPROCAL LONGIDUTINAL MOVEMENT AND FOR DIRECTING THE SLAT SUPPORT MEANS FOR FASTENING TO SAID SLIDE RODS, FIRST ONES OF EACH PAIR OF SLAT SUPPORT MEANS BEING SECURED TO ONE SLIDE ROD WHILE THE RESPECTIVE OTHERS OF EACH PAIR ARE SECURED TO THE OTHER SLIDE ROD; AND 